James' Journey to Jupiter
by elarisluna
Summary: James Kirk, delightfully impish as always, has a renewed resolve to become the man that Christopher Pike always said he could be. He gets more than he bargains for when he agrees to take on a new crewmember - Pike's mysterious young friend Dr. Jupiter Xosa, a brilliant scientist with a dubious past. AU, after STID, Pike survived. First fic - plz leave feedback
1. Chapter 1

**Set after STID, where Admiral Pike survived**

Jim Kirk entered the Star Fleet Headquarters, summoned by Admiral Pike. He looked around, always surprised at the quick recovery of his beautiful home in the wake of Khan's brutal attack. Shaking his head, he continued to the lift. Arriving at the Admiral's office, he discovered the room was empty. Rolling his eyes, he strode back out and caught a cadet by the shoulder as he walked by. "Cadet, do you know where the Admiral has gone?" The Cadet snapped to attention, and replied "Yes Captain, he's in the research and development center". Thanking the cadet, he left the Command wing and headed down to the 4th floor.

"Pike! What, am I supposed to wander around headquarters till I find you?!" Pike held up his hand, deep in discussion with a slim woman who had her back to Kirk. He held back, watching the conversation curiously – It looked like the woman was arguing quite intensely with Pike, and he raised his eyebrows – not many people would dare to address an Admiral in such a way. The woman turned to leave, and Pike protested – "Come on Zo, be reasonable. You know why I'm not ecstatic about this". Her stiff posture softened a little, and she turned back to him, pausing slightly before she said "Chris, I didn't come for your permission" Her posture softened, and she walked back towards Pike. Grasping one of his hands in hers, she said "I'll call you. Don't worry so much, it's making your face all wrinkly". He narrowed his eyes as she walked away.

"Walk with me Kirk" – The scars from his injuries permanently etched on his face, he leaned heavily on his cane as he walked towards the lift. Kirk grinned as he glanced towards his superior. "She is PISSED. Who the hell was that?" Pike shook his head – "no one you know. Though evidently you're about to". A thought seemed to cross his mind, and he snapped his head towards Kirk, "and mind your manners when it comes to this one, Kirk!" – knowing that his admonishment was not necessary. Kirk had left his womanizing ways behind; he had grown up a lot in the wake of the destruction caused by Khan's attack. Still a merciless flirt though… Shaking his head in amusement, Kirk asked "why did you want to see me sir?" "Well Kirk, its actually about Dr. Xosa. Against my better judgment, she's going to be joining your crew for your next mission. She's an extremely talented doctor and xenoimmunology research specialist – she'll be working in the sickbay and developing cures for intergalactic diseases. I had hoped she would have the sense to change her mind, given the apparent danger in space these days, but she's never been one to turn her back on danger…" Kirk, checking his crew manifest on his PADD, looked towards him curiously – "Sir, I trust you when you say that she will be a valuable crew member – but am I just supposed to take her on without any additional information? This file is secured. There's nothing here except her credentials – not even a given name. Dr. Xosa? That's all I get? What is this Pike?" "She doesn't go by her given name. Never has. She's a good friend. The rest isn't important." Kirk shrugged – "Okay. Shuttles leave at 0800 tomorrow morning, if she's on one she's in."


	2. Chapter 2

(1 month later)

"Captain on the bridge!" Rolling his eyes, Kirk said "Formality Sulu. Really, we're in the middle of nowhere, no one cares about these arbitrary regulations!" Sulu ignored this, and First Officer Spock remarked "Captain, it is a demonstration of respect. Do not question this." Kirk plopped down into his chair. "Thanks Spock, really helpful. Where are we going now Sulu? Haven't been to a new galaxy in awhile, lets do some sightseeing!" Everyone on the bridge shook their heads in amusement – the captain was still his playful self, though his boyish remarks were said in jest these days. When it came to decision-making, he responded with the honor that Pike always insisted he had. "Yeah ok. Earthquake predictions on Halii next week, lets head there and see what we can do. How long until we can be there?" The navigator tapped a few numbers into her display. "8 days at maximum warp, sir." Kirk broadcasted the new destination ship wide, and told all necessary personnel to prepare for a trip to the planet. "good! Let's go Lieutenant Sulu". A hail from the medical center came over the comm, and McCoy's annoyed voice said "Kirk! …ahem, Captain. A minute of your time?" Kirk sauntered to the lift – "yeah Bones! Be there in a sec."

"What's up, Bones?" McCoy snorted. "New engineer wants permission to head down to Halii surface with the team. Thinks she can extract a compound from some plant, supposedly needs it to work on a Pallixiss cure." Glaring at his captain, he said; "The thing is, I tried to check her file to see if she had the necessary training, and found it secured. What the hell, Kirk?" Looking surprised, Kirk said "Oh yeah! I almost forgot she was on board… Long story Bones. If she has the training she's welcome to come - I'll go down to med engineering and check myself". Thinking guiltily of his promise to Pike - he probably should have checked in with her earlier, he remembered that he hadn't actually MET the girl. It wasn't entirely surprising – it was a large ship, and he didn't make the trip down to the medical engineering lab very often. Having abstained from his reckless adventures, he also hadn't been to the sickbay a whole lot this mission. He knew nothing about her except her surname and her remarkably young age – you didn't see a lot of 23-year-old doctors – never mind one with a PhD in xenoimmunology.


	3. Chapter 3

Glancing around, Kirk saw who he assumed to be the young doctor. "Dr. Xosa, a word?" Turning around in annoyance, she exclaimed "I'm too busy for this! My compound isn't – Oh my god". Face paling, she exclaimed, "I'm sorry Captain Kirk, I thought you were a cadet". Smirking at her, he remarked "well, shit – sorry to catch you in a bad mood". He made a great effort to disguise his surprise – she was not, as he had assumed, human – though he shouldn't really have been surprised, a name like Xosu. She didn't look far from human – It was the eyes that gave her away – they were only slightly larger than usual, but an intense shade of dark violet. Not exactly something you see cropping up in human genetics. Aside from a slightly silvery glowing quality to her white-blond hair, she appeared otherwise human-like. He couldn't quite place her home planet though; he'd never met anyone with purple eyes. It wasn't her slightly unusual appearance that had truly surprised him; it was her otherworldly beauty – you didn't see many aliens that looked like that… Shaking his head internally, knowing that he was suspiciously silent, he said "McCoy sent me to talk to you about joining the Halii party. You're quite welcome to, if you have surface excursion training. I can't risk taking you if you don't." Nodding, she said "yes, I was qualified for it before we left Earth. It's very important that I be allowed on this excursion – it could mean a lot for the compounds I am trying to develop." He grinned – "Well, I'll be damned if I'll stand in the way of medical science!" Hesitating, he looked back at her. "Pike asked me to keep an eye on you, you know." She rolled her eyes – "of course he did. I can take care of myself – I've been doing it since I was 8 years old." Then she hesitated –But if he asks, you can tell him you've been checking. You know, so he doesn't kick your ass next time he sees you. That cane could probably do a lot of damage to your kneecap…" Wincing, he retreated and left to return to the bridge, furiously trying to shake the image of her smile out of his mind – she's too young, she's Pike's friend, she's too young… she has the most BEAUTIFUL eyes… Shit.

Jupiter sighed to herself – great impression, she thought. Snap at the Captain, THAT looks good. Really helps with the professionalism – it was difficult to be taken seriously as a scientist barely in her twenties, and that hadn't exactly helped her case… Mind wandering, she suddenly thought about how attractive he had looked, leaning casually against the doorframe… Stunned, she internally slapped herself. What the hell?! Get your shit together, Zo.

Over the next few weeks, Kirk had reason to visit the med engineering lab, a necessary interest in another engineer's project – developing a jumpsuit that could protect explorers more effectively from environmental toxins. His eyes were consistently drawn, however, to the young woman hunched in the corner over her microscope. He had convinced himself that he was getting used to her violet eyes, her silvery hair (he wanted to touch it – to see if it was as soft as it looked), the way his eyes were drawn to her as she walked by him in the corridors. That he didn't want to stop her in her tracks, fall into step beside her. The mystery that surrounded her only served to increase his fascination.


	4. Chapter 4

Arriving on the planet Hallos, the explorers looked around in shock. The destruction was much worse than their original estimations. Bodies littered the ground of the capital, fires raged through the crumbling buildings. Jim looked around in horror "What the hell? I thought this was a quake – it looks like the place got nuked!" The medical team sprang into action, McCoy shouting orders. They found few survivors, and had the most gravely injured beamed to the ship for treatment. Enterprise had made contact with nearby Hallis cities – the capital was hardest hit, and they were dispatching rescue teams. Kirk looked around, scanning the ruins for his team. McCoy, his usually scowling face heavy with the weight of so many lives lost, informed Kirk that he could find no further signs of life. In a city of 8000, only 600 survivors. "Alright, Bones. Your whole team back?". "Still missing a few techs Jim, and an engineer. They headed off that way with Uhura" he said, pointing. I made contact and let them know to head back this way." "Ok, head back to the Enterprise with the rest of the Halli Bones, I'll gather the rest of the team and we'll follow." Taking a few officers, he set off to meet the med tech party. After a few minutes, his lieutenant stopped. "Did you hear that?". Straining their ears, they heard screams coming from the ruins ahead. Crackling warnings came over their comms, and the team sprang forward, running towards the noises. Rounding a corner, Kirk saw the team – two appeared to be injured, and one was desperately gripping the side of a wall, held up only by the small remainder of a floor that appeared to have crumbled. Gut twisting, he recognized the silvery hair of the stranded form. Her face was set, impassive, but he could tell that she was injured – there was blood pouring from her leg, and she wasn't putting weight on it. He could practically hear the buzzing in her brain, trying to figure out an exit strategy. Scanning the surroundings, Jim grabbed a rappelling hook from his belt, and discharged it towards a roof beam, remarkably still intact. Shouting at Jupiter to stay put, Kirk swung over to the wall she was hanging from, landing on an intact partition of floor. He held out his arms, telling her to jump towards him. "I'll catch you Jupiter, just jump. Jump!" She leaned forward, and just then the section below her collapsed. Her carefully constructed composure collapsed with the floor, and she let out a terrified scream. Jim fell to his knees and caught her by the arm. Hearing panicked shouts from the other officers, he easily pulled her slim form up onto the platform, and she collapsed into chest. Strong arms grasping her closely, he whispered into her ear – "I've got you. It's ok, I've got you". They weren't out of danger yet. Sounds of warning came from the officers on the ground - they felt the planet begin to shake again. He pulled her to her feet, but quickly realized that she had lost more blood than he thought – her face was pale as death. Ignoring her weak protests, he hoisted her up into his arms. As the planet trembled, he shouted "beam us up, beam us up!". They materialized back on the Enterprise, Jupiter still clasped in his arms. "I can walk Captain" – too proud to be seen as the damsel in distress. He placed her gingerly on her feet and told a couple of cadets to get her down to the sickbay. He wanted to go himself, but knew that he would be needed on the bridge.

Several days later, Jim stepped into the lift, having just briefed Starfleet on the details of the Halii disaster. He felt guilty for leaving out mention of Jupiter's peril, but she had personally requested that he not tell Pike. He had knocked on her door, hours after their return – once patched up, she had refused to stay in the crowded sickbay, telling her colleagues not to waste their efforts on her. They were too busy with the injured Haliians. Knowing that this was risky, he stood awkwardly in the doorframe. "I wanted to check on you. That was pretty rough for your first surface excursion". Looking him in the eyes, she simply said - "I don't want this getting back to Chris. You and I both know he'll read into this more than necessary, and I don't want to cause him any worry." Considering her, he was acutely aware that she was standing much closer to him than usual. He noticed that her dark violet eyes shone with glittering silver specks. They looked like the night sky. Remembering her request, he nodded in agreement, focusing on not stepping closer to her. Hesitating, her face conflicted, she stepped on tiptoe and gently touched her lips to his cheek. "Thank you. For catching me". Frozen with shock, he closed his eyes and inhaled her scent, noticing there was a hint of alcohol on her breath. As she drew back, he said nothing, but realized that his hand rested on the small of her back, anchoring her body to his. He knew that he was no longer capable of resisting her, but that this wasn't the time. She was exhausted, in shock, and more than a little bit tipsy. Looking at him, her face was vulnerable for the first time since he had met her. "Stay with me. Come in". Steeling himself, he drew away. "No. Not tonight. No." Knowing he couldn't stay any longer, he squeezed her hand and let her go, leaving her standing in the doorway.


End file.
